This is the Rock
by RunningfromDarkness
Summary: I'm the only left.  I'm the only one still here.  There's an ache in my heart, an ache that will never, ever heal. One-shot.  Rated K  just in case.


**I have seriously been in a mood to write sadish stories. No, I'm not mean and heartless, or depressed! Anyway, I like cried my eyes out when I wrote this. I just love Gale so much...so, enjoy! (but before you read, grab some tissues...)**

So many years have passed. So many years have gone by since the end of the Capitol. I've lived in District 12 that whole time, only occasionally leaving for visits. Peeta and I realized we were better of as friends, and he eventually found love again, and moved to District 11. I missed him, but wrote to him often. District 12 remained the quiet little district it always had been, though it changed quite a bit. Gale and I were blessed with two wonderful kids, Lily, and Eli. They live in other Districts now, but I hear from them quite a bit.

I'm the only one left. Gale, Peeta, Johanna, Haymitch, they're all gone. Everyone who was significant in the Rebellion has passed on, and I'm the only one still living. I still remember the day Haymitch and Peeta died…

_I was sitting in the kitchen, when the telephone rang._

"_Hello?" I said, answering it._

"_Katniss, that you? It's Johanna."_

"_Hey Johanna, what's up?"_

"_They're dead." My heart stopped._

"_Who's dead?"_

"_Haymitch and Peeta. There was a tragic train crash. They were heading back to their districts, and happened to get the same train back. Katniss, they were both killed."_

"_They…they can't be dead."_

"_They are Katniss. I'm so sorry." The phone dropped from my hand. _

"_Katniss? Katniss!" Johanna called through the receiver. My legs crumpled beneath me, and I fell to the floor._

"_Katniss, hang in there okay? I know I'm not normally the sympathetic type, but I know how you're feeling. It'll all work out. You'll see." The phone went dead. I stayed on the kitchen floor, Eli, 9 at the time, wandering in a few minutes later._

"_Mommy?" He asked. I said nothing, just rocked back and forth, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Mommy!" He cried, more alarmed. I started sobbing, not paying a bit of attention to him._

"_Lily!" Eli shouted, and a moment later, Lily, 12, dashed down the stairs. "Mom? What's wrong?" She asked, worry crossing her face. _

_My heart had stopped, my blood chilled. I was in a fog, not able to focus, not able to think, not able to do anything. My children were crouched by me, scared that I was crying and wouldn't answer. I just loved Peeta and Haymitch so very much. They meant everything to me, and now they were gone. I never even got the chance to say goodbye…_

"_Mom! Please answer me!" Lily started looking scared, but still, I couldn't get the words out to answer her. In fact, I hardly registered that she had spoken at all._

"_Eli, come on. We need to go get Dad." They dashed out the door, hurrying to try and find him._

_Gale had started a small construction business, fixing up District 12, and was eventually put in charge of the District's upkeep. Today, he had been working in the Justice Building, fixing a few random things._

"_Dad!" Lily cried, spotting him outside, repairing a crack. He looked over at the sound of his daughter's voice. "Lily, what is it?"_

"_It's Mom! She's sitting on the kitchen floor, crying. She won't answer, or pay any attention to us! Dad, something's wrong!" Alarm crossed Gale's face, and he quickly jumped down from the ladder._

"_Rory, I gotta go."_

"_Course bro. Send the kids over if you need to." Posy had married, and Rory lived in a small addition next to their house. Rory and Posy's husband were as close as brothers, and the living arrangement worked out well._

"_Ok, thanks." Gale rushed back to the house, deeply concerned for Katniss._

_15 minutes later, Gale rushed in, looking panicked, but I barely noticed. _

"_Katniss? What's wrong?" He crouched by my, and I was finally able to focus just a little._

"_They're dead." I whispered._

"_Who's dead?"_

"_Peeta. Haymitch. Train crash. Johanna called. Gale, help me." _

"_Oh Katniss." He pulled me close, gently rubbing my back._

"_Lily, go pack some things for you and your brother. Then go to Posy's house. Tell her I need you two to stay there for a few days. Tell her I'll call and explain later."_

"_Okay Dad." Lily and Eli hurried upstairs. Gale gently picked me up, and carried me to the living room. He settled us down on the couch, me lying across his lap._

"_Don't leave." I whispered._

"_Never." He replied, and I clutched him, pressing myself up against his body._

It had taken me a while to move on, but Gale was always there, ready to dry my tears. Peeta and Haymitch had both been buried in District 12, and I visited their graves often. It comforted me, knowing they were still close.

I'm sitting on our rock in the woods, staring off into the distance. District 12 is so different now. No one is poor, and the Seam no longer exists. Now, the Districts look more like the Capitol, more high-tech. It's still quiet, despite the fact it looks very different. But the forest remains unchanged. I insisted it stay this way. Our hunting ground is still here, the Meadow still looking the same, even the rock is the same, save for some moss. But the people are not. So many have passed on, so many have moved in.

Johanna, Annie, and my mother are now gone. Johanna died in a car crash, Annie of heartbreak when her child died, and my mother of old age. I suppose I'm getting older too, no longer the spirited young girl I once was. I don't smile very often now, and never laugh. The pain I face every day wears me down, and some days, I can hardly get out of bed. Posy and Vick are still living, though Hazelle and Rory are gone. And Gale…

I miss him with an ache that never goes away. He was my everything, and without him, I'm lost. He was my light, my guide, the person to help me through life, and now I feel like I'm stumbling along in the darkness, with no idea of where I'm going.

I can almost imagine him walking up behind me, his footsteps as silent as always. He'd sit on the rock, slip an arm around my shoulders, and stare off into the distance. I got over Peeta's death. I got over Haymitch's. I got over my mother's, and Johanna's, and Annie's. But I have not gotten over Gale's.

I still cry myself to sleep some times, still reach over to the empty spot on the bed, hoping to feel his warm body next to me. But he's not there. And he never will be there.

I can still picture his smile, his callused hands, his steady gait. I can still hear his laughter, hear his voice, hear his whisper telling me everything's okay. I can still feel his arms around me, still feel his lips on mine, still feel his warm body lying next to me.

Some days, I think I've finally moved on, finally gotten past his death. But then the tears come once more, shaking my body, and making me fall to my knees. There's a hole in my heart, a hole that can only be filled by one. And that person is gone. There is still an ache, still a sadness, still a longing that will never end. Gale was the one person I could not live without. The one person I would be broken beyond repair if he died. The one person that I needed the most. I still remember the day he died as if it were yesterday.

_Gale had gone to the mines that day, hearing they were short on workers, and needed some extra help. Gale hated the mines, but he went anyway, knowing they could use his skill._

"_Be careful Gale." I said, as he got ready to leave._

"_I always am." He replied with a smile, kissing me before he disappeared out the door. That was the last time I ever saw him. Lily and Eli were all grown up, living with families of their own in the other districts. The house was much quieter now, though we had gotten used to it. Gale and I were older too, but we still remained as strong and fit as ever. _

_After Gale left, I finished washing the dishes, the dishwasher having broken down. We lived in my original house in the Victory Village, though it had gotten updated with all sorts of new technology. After the kids had grown up, and moved out, I had taken to writing, as it seemed to help ease the memories. And when the pain was strong, and Gale wasn't around, I'd pour my heart out onto those pages, writing down every worry, fear, every thought._

_I had written a book on the Hunger Games, and it was wildly popular. People had realized that we needed to remember what had happened, so that we would never make the same mistakes. At the moment, I was working on the Quarter Quell book, and it was nearly finished. Soon, I'd be sending it to my editor in the Capitol, who would print it. About half-way through the morning, the sirens started blaring._

_My heart dropped. The sirens meant there was an accident in the mines. Gale was in the mines. I kicked back my chair, and flew out the door, tearing through the streets towards the mines. People were rushing, crowding in to find out what had happened. Peacekeepers were doing their best to keep them away from the entrance, to give the miners room to get out._

_Group after group of people stumbled out, loved ones rushing forward. I called out Gale's name again and again, desperately searching for him. But as the hours passed, a chill came over me, a feeling of dread that Gale wasn't going to come walking out of those mines._

_The sun started going down, and I spotted Lily and Eli running towards me._

"_Mom, we heard there was an accident. Is Dad okay?" Lily asked._

"_I don't know." I said softly. Tears sprang to Lily's eyes and she hugged me tightly. The number of people was decreasing as more of the miners stumbled out. I sat huddled on the ground, leaving against a railing. Eli paced back and forth, while Lily sat huddled beside me. Peacekeepers passed out blankets, and someone came with food and hot chocolate. Eli and Lily accepted the food and drinks, and tried to get me to eat something. I refused, knowing it would just come right back up. Lily tucked a blanket around my shoulders, but I hardly noticed. It was dark, and the Peacekeepers had set up lights. Along with us, a few other families stood nearby, waiting for news. Other families stood with them, offering comfort and support._

_A miner stumbled out, a figure in his arms. Eli ran forward to help the man, along with several others. As they got closer, I caught sight of brown hair on the still figure, and then…Gale's face._

_I screamed Gale's name, and Lily started sobbing._

"_He's gone Katniss. I'm so sorry." The miner said, coming up to me and gently setting Gale on the ground. I vaulted to Gale's side, crying, and shaking him._

"_Please wake up Gale, please wake up!" I cried. But his eyes remained closed, his body as cold as ice. He was covered in cuts and burns, but to me, he looked as handsome as ever. I put my face in my hands, and sobbed, huge, heart wrenching sobs that shook every bone in my body. Eli was struggling to keep back tears as he hugged Lily, who cried into his shoulder. _

_Gale couldn't be dead. I had seen him just this morning, smiling at me as he slipped out the door. He meant so much to me, and I felt numb inside. My heart was chilled, utter sadness coming over me. I felt warm hands on my shoulders, and a soft voice in my ear. Vienna. She was a close friend that lived nearby. Her husband, Tip, and Gale were close friends as well._

_Vienna pulled me to my feet, and enveloped me in a tight hug. Tip stood nearby, his eyes downcast._

"_Shh… It'll be okay Katniss. I promise you, you'll get through this."_

_Vienna and Tip took Lily, Eli, and I back to their house. They insisted stay the night, and none of us really slept at all. We just curled up in the living room, talking, and being there for one another. _

That had happened several years ago. Vienna and Tip, along with some of our other friends, had been kind enough to box up our stuff, and take it to another house. Gale's stuff stayed in our old one, and every once in a while, I would go, and rummage through the boxes, pulling out some of his old stuff, and remembering. His bow, his hunting jacket, his boots. So many of those things held so many memories.

For several years, I struggled without Gale. At times, I just sat at the kitchen table, unable to move, unable to focus, unable to do anything. But Vienna was always there. I resisted at first getting close to her, not wanting to lose her, but she broke through the wall, and I finally gave in, needing someone so desperately. She supported me, and was there to help me through the pain. Both she and Tip helped me out so much, making meals, helping around the house, being there when the pain was so bad that I could hardly focus.

Gale was my lifeline, the one that one that kept me sane. He chased away the nightmares, brushed away my tears, comforted me when I needed him. And he never minded. Never minded when I sobbed into his shoulder, clung to him, and sat in the middle of the kitchen floor, crying my eyes out. He understood. He knew that the pain was hard, that I barely held on at times. He was the most compassionate, most loving, most sympathetic, most affectionate person I ever knew. He was everything.

I gaze off to my right, where a low, smooth stone sat. It read, _Here lies a father that was like no other. Here lies a brother that was always there to comfort. Here lies a friend, who was there till the end. Here lies a husband, a love that will never be forgotten._

Gale had been buried right next to our rock where there were so many memories. So many fun times, so many sad. I got off the rock, and sat in the grass, staring at the words I had carved into our rock a couple years after Gale's death.

_This is the rock that I laughed on. This is the rock where he always made me smile. This is the rock that I yelled on. This is the rock where he listened. This is the rock where I hunted. This is the rock where he watched my back. This is the rock that I cried on. This is the rock where he brushed away my tears. This is the rock that said begged him to stay on. This is the rock where he left. This is the rock I said goodbye on. This is the rock where he's buried._

I gently rest my head on the cool stone, wishing so desperately that I could see him. Just one more time. Just have one more day with him. Just have a chance to say goodbye.

I feel so light, so at ease all of a sudden, as though all my problems are gone. I can almost hear his voice, saying my name over and over.

"Katniss….Katniss….Katniss…"

That is my name. I whirl around, sure I'm only dreaming, sure it's only my imagination, but it sounded so _real._ And then…I see him. He's surrounded by light, and he's walking towards me.

"Gale?" I whisper.

"Hey Catnip." He says, and pulls me close. Oh, how I've longed for this day. Gale's scent washes over me, and I cling to him, tears streaming. His body feels so familiar to me, and I press myself against him.

"Oh Gale, why did you have to leave? Why did you have to leave _me_?"

"It was my time Katniss. But now, your time has come too." I look down, and can see my body lying next to the rock. There's a smile on my face, and I look peaceful. I look back at Gale, a look of complete happiness coming over my face.

He smiles. "I've been waiting for you, you know."

"I need you so much Gale. I barely coped without you. You were my everything."

"Shh….I'm here now. And I'm never leaving again. Welcome home Katniss. Welcome home."

**At least it has a happy endings. Those endings are always the best, aren't they? Remeber to review! Reviews make me happy! And if you're in the mood for another story like this, check my profile. I've been in a Hunger Games mood lately, and have been writing story, after story. Hope you enjoyed!**


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